Fragment gewei uit V.O.C.-schip de 'Witte Leeuw' before 1613

This is a fragment of an antler, recovered from the wreck of the Dutch East India Company ship, the Witte Leeuw. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the material culture of the 17th century and the Dutch colonial enterprise. The Witte Leeuw sank in 1613, off the coast of St. Helena, en route to the Netherlands from Southeast Asia. The ship was a crucial node in a vast network of trade routes, and its cargo reflects the global reach of the VOC, or Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie. This antler fragment, recovered from the wreck, could have been used as a tool handle, or perhaps it was simply part of the ship's stores. The question of how an antler came to be on a ship involved in the spice trade is one that requires considering what life was like for sailors and others connected to the VOC. Objects like these provide tangible connections to a complex history of trade, colonialism, and cultural exchange, and their presence in museum collections invites us to consider the social conditions that shaped the early modern world.